Kohlrabi is the New Kale

Erin McFarland

January 17, 2014

If you're feeling a bit of kale fatigue from last year's obsession, you can begin to back away from the leafy greens soon. According to Time magazine kohlrabi (pictured far right, below) is on its way to becoming this year's trendy vegetable. Popular throughout the rest of the world already, Americans may have been introduced to kohlrabi at one point or another by way of its English translation—the cabbage turnip.

Sunset magazine

Described as "more like a dinosaur than a vegetable" by Time and "a cross between an octopus and a space capsule" by Jonny Bowden in The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, kohlrabi may be the strangest vegetable at the farmers' market. The bulbs are either light green or dark purple and can be sold with or without the iron-rich greens attached. Kohlrabi tastes similar to the stalk of a broccoli while the leaves behave like turnip greens when cooked. When choosing kohlrabi, look for small bulbs that feel heavy for their size for the best flavor and texture.

Perhaps what gives kohlrabi such trend potential is its versatility. Some people simply bite into the vegetable raw like they would an apple, or slice it thin for dipping. Steamed, roasted, or tossed in soups—there really is no wrong way to cook kohlrabi. It won't begin cropping up at farmers' market and grocery stores for another few months, but if its trajectory is anything like kale's it will be ubiquitous come late summer.